Final Blog

The last few days have been busy crossing a few continents. We left a rainy Sweden for a hot Roman summer. Unfortunately we had to wait 45 mins for the so called airport express so it wasn't until 10:30 pm that we were able to meet up with Luigi and friends for dinner. My irritation disappeared as soon as the taxi drove past the lit up Colisseum and the Forum and I remembered why I love Rome so much. The restaurant was in the Piazza Margana, a tiny piazza near San Marco which is often used as a place to film a typical Roman piazza according to the guidebook. It is gorgeous and the meal was superb - stuffed zucchini flowers, delicious pasta and we finished with gelati of course, washed down with Prosecco and a wonderful Brunello di Montaciano to round the meal off. On the way back to the hotel we passed the Theatre of Marcellus and the Baths of Caracalla - they looked very evocative all lit up. The fountains were flowing, there was a party on the Circus Maximus and a traffic jam at 1:30 am. Only in Rome.

Then after a 10 hour flight we arrived in Hong Kong feeling a bit groggy. But we soldiered on and caught one of the old Star Ferries from Hong Kong Island to Koowloon for a fabulous lunch - maybe the best spring rolls of all time and very nice dumplings. Then I faced my fears by riding the tram up to the peak. It was ghastly - Hong Kong is very hilly and I was not a happy girl, but the views were pretty spectacular from the top as you can see. We had another good meal - this time with crispy tofu and a flavour-some vegetable hot-pot. Hong Kong is very good for vegetarians. The humidity is pretty intense so we were glad to return to an air-conditioned room and collapse into bed.

Today was all about the Journey to Enlightenment and walking with Buddha as we visited the Tian Tan Buddha statue, which is the tallest, outdoor, seated bronze Buddha in the world. It is very impressive although I think the Buddha might be a bit concerned about the theme park that surrounds him. We got there via a 5.7 km cable car ride which is amazing. For some reason I am not afraid of cable cars. This afternoon Hugh has his talk at the university of Hong Kong so I had better go and watch. Then we head off to the airport and back home to Brisbane. It has been great fun doing this blog and a wonderful way to record the trip so that anyone who is interested can see what we are up to. You have got to love the internet! Farewell.

Back in the Bog

Yesterday we revisited the scene of the crime (the bog) hoping to see another sort of unusual orchid that was just in bud last week. Unfortunately due to the cold and dampish conditions the orchids hadn't done much in the way of opening but we were lucky to find one or two brave souls that had decided to open. This is a picture of the Broad-leaved Helleborine, Epactis helleborine or in Swedish skogsnipprot. A very pretty pink colour but its head tends to droop making it difficult to photograph.

The other picture is of the forest with no track that I mentioned last post and Hugh standing in the middle of blueberry bushes. We have now officially given up on the hazel grouse as obviously it does not want to be seen. Possibly it is extinct?

It was very rainy for Hugh's birthday on the 21st so we stayed in, drank champagne and had another sauna. Not so bad really. So Last night we went to Lindesberg to check out the nightlife and have a birthday dinner for Hugh as the weather was better. It is a very quiet town after 6 pm but we did find a pub and had a good time. There were these two Cavalier King Charles dogs at the table next to us - one was just like Eddy but obviously not as handsome and the other a nice tricolour. Their owners were very nice old Swedish ladies who helped us with the non-english speaking waitress.

Today is all about packing as tomorrow we leave Sweden for home via a night in Rome, the city of my heart, and a stopover in Hong Kong. The Europe trip is coming to end and this may well be the penultimate blog. I have to confess that I am addicted to travel and am not sure I feel like going home yet. I miss the family and my friends and my own pillow naturally but I like being in Europe although perhaps a little closer to cafes and pubs than out in the forest at Grimso!

Scandanavian Sauna

The last few days have been spent in a so far futile attempt to find a hazel grouse. I am posting a picture from Henrik, of the sheriff and his deputies so you can see how serious this is. I got dragged to a forest on Saturday where there was no track, just lots of bolders, blueberry bushes and moss - I could feel a twisted ankle coming with every step I gingerly took. So I don't think I will be promoted to deputy sheriff any time soon on account of all the complaining I did. Also I don't have big equipment like Johan.

Luckily it started to rain on Saturday so I was let off hazel grouse patrol and as it was cold we decided to try out the sauna that is in the basement at Grimso. The photo of the helpful poster on the wall shows you what you have to do. Normally I dislike enclosed spaces but this sauna has two windows high up in the wall that can be opened and a nice clear glass door so it was OK for we claustrophobics. It was actually really nice and relaxing and I slept like a baby last night so there must be something in it after all. I am still more in favour of spas than saunas but then I don't live in a cold climate.

Today I went north to the town of Skinnskateberg for provisions. It is closer than Lindesberg but no-one from Grimso seems to go there. I can see why now as it is a little grim. It could just be the windy grey day but everyone looked a little depressed. I suppose if this is summer you would be depressed! The town had one bottleshop like Lindesberg but here all the alcohol was behind glass and you had to ask the lady for what you wanted. I know it is supposed to reduce wife-beatings and alcoholism and so on but the only effect on me is to make me feel slightly desperate and to buy more than I needed. But perhaps it is too much of a culture shock for an Australian after all and it is not so bad if you are used to it. I wonder?

For some reason I have become interested in Life Expectancy tables and see that Australia and Sweden are more or less the same and both above the rest of Europe, other Scandanavian countries and the US and the UK. It really makes you wonder why as diet and alcohol restrictions are quite different. The only thing I can see is that anti-smoking laws appear roughly the same and the standard of health care must be similar. Although I have noticed that the quality and variety of fruit and vegetables aren't that great here but I remember that in Australian country towns people must survive on frozen vegetables too as it can be a bit dire outside of big cities as well. Maybe all this emphasis on healthy food is a bit overrated?

Fare thee well Peter

Todays photo is of the boys having fun at Peter's farewell dinner. Apparently Grzegorz and Peter skipped off together into the woods and gathered blueberries for our dessert. There were enough blueberries to feed ten people rather than four. But they were very yummy and so nice to eat berries fresh from the forest. So Swedish. I spent the day in Lindesberg shopping for the gala event and enjoying the sun - it seems like spring rather than summer weather, but I am not complaining as at least it has stopped raining.

After making all those jokes last post about moose paraphenalia I am now a bit cross with myself for not buying this adorable stuffed moose toy I saw in Lund. I broke the first rule of travelling which is: if you see it and like it, for god's sake just buy it as you will regret it if you don't. Well, yesterday I searched Lindesberg high and low for stuffed mooses to no avail. All too tasteful and not right. That will teach me to break the rules! So I am on a mission now I have actually seen said moose, to buy something moosey.

The other photo is of the attack horses looking harmless (see back in the woods post) but that could have been because they were safely restrained behind an electric fence. Hugh returned a little disconsolate on Wednesday from the woodpecker mission because they didn't see any woodpeckers and its hard to save things you can't see. He has been bugging me to say something for some time so I will kindly give him some space - he really should get his own blog.

Karen has blogger's block so I am stepping in to fill in the nasty white space that could be mis-interpreted as brain failure or inherent lack of imagination. Readers of Karen's witty words may be under a couple of misconceptions. First, that I'm having fun - fun is not a thing that I do. Second, that I drink too much because all photos of me include a glass of alcohol. On that point I would just note that "too much" is a relative term and it is not at all true that my entire cellular system is now alcohol-, rather than water-, based. Back to her highness, my bottle of skåne akvavit is calling me ...

It is true - he has a bottle in his office. Such a disgrace - he will give Australians a bad name. Bye for now.

Woodpecker widow

The last few days have been very idyllic as we have been wandering through the woods searching for orchids and the elusive Hazel Grouse. As you can see Hugh made friends with Bambi who lives in the field with some horses and is very tame. Apparently he was in a research project as a fawn when his mother died and he was taken from the wild and became a pet. He is very cute and followed us through the fields on our walk. I bravely walked past the horses and ponies trying to show no fear. Though they can smell fear I believe.

Another walk took us to the one of the nearby lakes and onto a platform where you can fish or launch canoes or jump in and swim from if you wish. The sunset over the lake was beautiful and occurs around ten thirty now. There were clumps of small wild strawberries growing everywhere which tasted very sweet. It is all very "Sound of Music" like except there are no nuns and no alps but otherwise it is identical!

I am glad we have seen a moose or, if you want to be strictly accurate, an elk because now I can buy some of the moose paraphenalia that covers Sweden - oven-mits, caps, cuddly toys and so on. Or even a tasteful key-ring would be good. I shouldn't laugh as Australia is covered in kangaroo and koala kitsch after all. And what is worse snow-domes of the Sydney Opera House!

Hugh is off on the trail of White-backed Woodpeckers today - apparently there are only two pairs left in Sweden - so sad. That is what he is really in Sweden for, to work on a recovery plan for these birds. Good luck is all I can say. So I get to be able to use his internet all day - he has not been very good at sharing. In the absence of other distractions, I have been doing some writing - the best-selling book is still a long way off I hasten to add, but I have made a start trying to get down some memories and impressions. It is not as easy as it looks this writing thing but I am persevering in case I am Jane Austen in disguise. One can only hope.

A blog from the bog

Yesterday we spent a wonderful day with Henrik and Ingrid who pulled out all the stops and showed us the historical, cultural and natural wonders of their local area. We started by visiting the old mining community of Pershyttan which has preserved mines, buildings and the old water wheel with its beam drive that powered the entire site. I was fascinated by the way of life of the miners. In winter the miners used the frozen lakes and snow to transport ore and charcoal, and in spring they mainly spent time ploughing the fields and putting the animals out to pasture. Summer was the real time for mining, and traditionally the entire household worked the mines. In autumn charcoal was produced in order to fire the furnace. It seems like a lot of hard work and I bet they were cold and hungry a lot of the time.

We were lucky with the weather and were able to eat lunch outside in the sunshine before visiting the town of Nora and seeing an interesting art exhibition by Swedish and Finnish artists. For some 600 years Finland was part of Sweden and the exhibition reflected the two countries’ close links. Then we drove to a small but fascinating bog called Lejakärret. We are not sure that bog is the best translation as it could mean fen, marsh or swamp but we settled for bog because it rhymes with blog!

The site is famous for its orchids because there is limestone (rare in Sweden) and orchids covered the bog like a carpet. It was really spectacular and we saw at least five different species of flowering orchid. Fortunately Henrik had bought the field guide so were able to identify them quite easily. My favourite was probably the purple Epipactis atrorubens but it was hard to photograph due to its drooping head. The photo is of Epipactis palustris which was also very beautiful and present in great numbers. The common English name is Marsh helleborine and the Swedish name is Kärrknipprot. Rather cute I think.

Tired but happy we went back to Ingrid and Henrik’s house for dinner which was delicious and caught up with their children, who are of course much taller than I remembered. Their daughter Matilda leaves for Australia this week on a rotary exchange programme for a year. No doubt it will be a wonderful experience and I admire her for being able to leave her comfort zone at her age. On the way home we finally got see a moose by the side of the road. We were beginning to doubt their existence!

Lund in a cold climate

On Thursday we drove some 600 kms south to Lund in the county of skåne which used to be part of Denmark. It was pouring with rain but luckily it stopped when we reached our destination. We stayed the night with Ola and his family in his old farm house. The Swedes were certainly shorter 150 years ago as the ceilings were very low. We sat outside for a while and drank this wonderful elderflower and gin concoction that Ola makes from shrubs on his farm – quite delicious but a little deadly. We had a nice meal with a few other people from the ecology department at the University of Lund where Hugh was giving a talk the next day.

I spent the day trying to avoid the rain by visiting the cathedral of Lund which is one of the oldest Romanesque style churches in Sweden dating from about the twelfth century. It has a fabulous clock (pictured), which I think is fifteenth century, and has two knights hitting each other with swords to mark the hours and a procession of wise men circling the Virgin Mary. Very cute. It also has a crypt but it isn’t very spooky as it has lots of windows and light.

There is also an interesting historical museum with entire preserved houses containing period furniture which I enjoyed. But like Berlin, I think Lund would be nicer when not raining and cold. Slightly wet and woebegone I met up with Hugh in the afternoon for our drive to see Niclas, who was a former post-doc of Hugh’s, and his partner Marlin who was a great favourite at our Brisbane bookgroup. Niclas, in the other photo with Hugh, is recovering well from a nasty operation and it was lovely to see them and their two young blonde viking children.

Hugh and Niclas went bird-watching yesterday morning and Marlin, the kids and I visited the beach which is close to their house. We could see Denmark across the water and Marlin told me she has visited Copenhagen more than she has visited Stockholm. From the car you can see windmills and you can see how influenced by Denmark the area is. We made it back to Grimso safe and sound last night determined to stay in one place for a while.

Joining the Library

That was my excitment for yesterday - joining the library. Lindesberg has a very nice public library with a reasonable English section and a nice collection of CDs/DVDs. I have been missing music so I think I might treat myself to an ipod in Hong Kong on the way home. After all I have been a good girl (more or less). I was interested to see that a visitor can join the library for free but that DVDs attract a charge. It made me laugh to see that they have the same kind of star printers as Brisbane City Council Libaries to tell you when your books are due back. Small world.

It is a small town and backs onto a lake - the first photo is of the cute tourist information office with the lake behind it. Lindesberg has four supermarkets but only one bottle shop. I have got used to buying alcohol in supermarkets in Europe so it is a bit of a shock having to go to the special bottle shop which has restricted hours and is quite expensive. They are all owned by the government with the aim of trying to reduce alcoholism I believe. It is a bit inconvenient so it probably works. I should look up the statistics.

The other funny thing about Sweden is that although not many people smoke, there is this thing called snuss which is tobacco that you place under your lip which is very popluar. It caused a bit of a problem for Sweden joining the European Union for some reason but they got an exemption and you can only buy it here or perhaps also in Finland. I am told it is not as bad as smoking tobacco as it doesn't affect your lungs or circulation but apparently it does lead to increased levels of mouth cancers.

We are not finding it so expensive to live here as when we visited five years ago - luckily the Swedish kronor has got weaker due to the financial crisis. Admittedly we are not dining out in restaurants as much. Tonight we are going to have a pizza party with Peter and a French academic who works here. I am wishing we had a few of our games here as it would be fun to play some cluedo or civilization - no nasty distractions such as phones or work.

The other photo is of a new flower which has appeared - there are more yellow and white flowers than purple now. We had a brief walk yesterday when it stopped raining for a while and tried to identify some of the trees in the forest. The dominant tree seems to be birch but there are also a lot of spruce, pine, aspen and a few alder apparently. I saw my first great spotted woodpecker actually pecking at wood. Most exciting.

Back in the woods

I drove into Lindesberg on Sarurday to stock up on supplies - it is quite a challenge shopping without knowing what any of the ingredients are but I managed. I never thought I would be saying this, but it is quite nice to be able to cook your own food after 2 weeks of rich restaurant food. Today's photo is of the famous Midsummer flower which has nearly disappeared now. The wildflowers are remarkable here - after 2 weeks everything is quite different.

Hugh and I went on a big walk around the lake yesterday and I was very intrepid, walking through bogs and not being afraid of bugs - luckily I was wearing my tropical strength insect repellent so I was mostly left alone. The water is quite warm now (my feet got wet) and Hugh is talking about swimming in the lake - it is not quite warm enough for me however. Unfortunately the weather has turned cold and rainy today so I am starting to think that the sauna might be quite a good idea! I hope there are birch twigs.

On the way back from the walk, these ponies started chasing us - I think they thought we might feed them, so naturally I panicked and ran. Hugh thinks my fears are funny so he says "Save yourself - I'll hold them off". So I ran but felt a little bad about leaving my loved one to the wild beasts, so I bravely turned around to help and found him laughing and being surrounded by ponies trying to herd him. I felt a little sheepish then but you never know with animals in the forest - I've seen the movies.

In the evenings which are not so light now, we head off to the old white house pictured in an earlier blog and watch DVD's - it is good fun although we rarely agree about what to watch. I have a nice stack of books to read thanks to England and Hugh has his computer game so we are all set. I am enjoying this life of no responsibilities and even better no housework!

Leaving the dreaming spires of Oxford

Yesterday was spent wandering around Oxford having fun. I had a nice English breakfast in the College Hall which felt just like the one at Hogwarts only a bit smaller. Then I visited the Chapel which you can see in the photo and the organ started playing just after I walked in adding to the atmosphere. Luckily this time I was not looking at a tomb, as in Cambridge, so I did not have another heart attack! I took a turn in the gardens and admired the foliage. Unfortunately Mr Darcy did not accompany me as he had to rush off for a big day of talks and meetings. I think this blog is starting to sound like the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde!

After getting my toe looked at by a nice Podiatrist who said it was looking good, I hit the shops to celebrate. I visited the holy site of Blackwell's, perhaps the best bookshop I have ever been in. They have a classical studies and history section that makes me start drooling. I also found a book in the literature section that I had been looking for through most of Europe. I had to tear myself away before I lost the plot (ha ha) and remembered that anything I bought I would have to carry through at least three countries before getting back to Australia. They even buy second hand books so I was able to offload a book I had just finished. What a service!

I climbed a Saxon tower (the oldest building in Oxford) and had a wonderful view of all the spires and towers of Oxford. There are a lot. I was able to visit the St John's College library which as you can see from the photo is absolutely beautiful. I got to feel like an old scholar without having to do any of the work involved. Suits me fine! It really is a gorgeous place and I'm not sure I fully appreciated it when were here in the 1980's.

After a little siesta I met up with Hugh and some colleagues for a drink at the University Club and then we met some other colleagues at groovy tapas bar called Kazbar. It was unbelievably warm weather for England and we caught up with Claudio and Jorgelina, an Argentinian couple who we had met, funnily enough, at Luigi's in Tuscany. What a small world.

Today we left England through the newish terminal 5 at Heathrow which is a big improvement on the other terminals, let me tell you, and headed back to Sweden. Although it is only a two and a half hour flight, by the time we picked up the hire car and drove back to Grimso it was 11 pm and the whole trip had taken over 12 hours. We were pretty tired but pleased to be back in the peaceful forest.

Messing about in boats

It was a Wind in the Willows experience Tuesday, as I travelled to Windsor on the local bus that winds through Windsor Great Park. Amazing views. Luckily I had visited Windsor Castle before, as I didn't feel like walking through a no doubt badly ventilated castle at the height of the tourist season. So I got an ice-cream and took a river cruise down the Thames. There was a nice breeze and I drifted along past Eton boatsheds and under bridges and watched little barges pass us by. The view of Windsor castle on the way back was spectacular as you can see.

In the evening we went to a local Chinese restaurant for an enormous banquet. Luckily EJ, who is the workshop organiser, is a vegetarian so we had all sorts of unkown but delicious vegetarian foodstuffs. I had a nice evening talking with Emily who is a former student of Hughs and getting to cuddle with her baby.

I spent yesterday morning walking around the forests of Silwood trying to find the old farmhouse that we lived in when we were here 15 years ago. After achieving success, Hugh and I left on the train for Oxford and our wedding anniversary celebrations. We were just able to get to Oxford University Press before it shut to pick up copies of Hugh's new book which was exciting. We had a drink in the Lamb and Flag pub which is where I had my first job when we lived in England 25 years ago. Lots of nostalgia.

We had a lovely dinner (pictured above) in a quaint restaurant called the Old Parsonage and had lots of fun listening in on the other diners. On one side we had a guy that sounded exactly like Carson from 'Queer eye for a straight guy' and who was beautifully dressed in a sage green linen suit. The other table was full of Hooray Henrys who kept on talking about William and Harry and it sounded awfully like the royal ones. It was really funny and kept us entertained until I had to concentrate on my yummy dessert called "Eton Mess". It is a mixture of crushed meringue, strawberries and of course - double cream! It was to die for.

It is hard to believe but Oxford is even better than I remembered it. We are staying in St John's College Alumini Guest Rooms which are very elegant and located next to the house where we had our wedding reception. From our window I can see the Cupola in the garden where we had wedding photos taken. It is really incredibly romantic and the honey-coloured buildings look beautiful in the sunshine. I am very happy to be back here.